Thursday, December 23, 2010

Sculptures from a single grain of sand.... done in the eye of a needle

Check these out.  They're made by 52 year old Willard Wigan.  He carves them from single grains of sugar or sand.  He then mounts them on small objects, like the head of a pin, or inside the eye of a needle.  Because of their size, they require special display cases, and even those are beautiful.


The Obamas


Peter Pan



The Beatles' Yellow Submarine




Church in England.




The Clay / Liston fight



Willard Wigan, 52 years old.



The Display Equipment  

These deserve a post of their own.












Thursday, December 16, 2010

Helen Bruce dioramas from the 1950s


Helen Bruce, b. 1880, was an Antique Dealer in New York City who also sold antique dolls and antique miniature, dollhouse accessories, from which she created these dioramas depicting 19th century millinery shops and interiors. She was especially patronized by Elizabeth Havemeyer Webb, whose collection of 30+ examples are in The Shelburne Museum in Vermont.

I found these on: 1stdibs.  There you can read more about the pieces.






Thursday, December 9, 2010

How's this for creepy-but-you-have-to-look?

The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death showcases models that are a wonderful mix of old fashion cute dollhouse type models, and gory, often murderous deaths.  There are eighteen models in all, created by Frances Glessner Lee, a millionaire heiress with an interest in forensic science.  They depict actual unsolved crimes and were used to train students of crime. (Lee used her inheritance to establish Harvard's Department of Legal Medicine).

There is also a film in production, Of Dolls and Murder, made by Susan Marks.


Click to enlarge gory photos










































Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Vintage surfboard models

There's a particular beauty to vintage boards.  A few years ago I had my first surfing experience out in Santa Cruz, California, and when I returned I made a few boards to commemorate the occasion.   These were made from bass wood.  If I make more, I will use a hard wood, and work more on the paint jobs.  Since then  I found some nice models on the web (pictured below)


Models by Tom:























Monday, December 6, 2010

French soldiers and a dead Sultan - From the auction houses



French Cavalry barracks scene



Cirrca 1890-1910 French Cavalry Barracks scene. The 55mm figures are engaged in various activities: cleaning equipment, grooming horses, and holding an officers' conference. The wooden barracks and accompanying figures, manufactured in the 1920's: Source: Toy Collector


The Deceased Sultan







Late 19th Century Turkish diorama depicting deceased sultan in coffin on left with mourners and rejoicing figues on right including harem peekers and dancing dervishes, 17"h x 25"w x 9"d, 20 1/2"h x 29 1/2"w x 13 1/2"d in modern plexiglass case.




Saturday, December 4, 2010

Runabouts - vintage speedboat models

I've recently become interested in these wooden speed boats, often called Runabouts.  In addition to their beauty, they evoke a sense of a glamorous past (their heydays were the 1920s-1950s).  The most well known maker was Chris-Craft, which still exists today. It's website has a history section with great product photos.


From Deutch Optik catalog:  


These three from Deutch Optik are moderately priced models (Between $100 - $200, and are probably mass produced overseas.  (For higher quality models, see the ones from Mahogany Model Boats, below)






Click photos to enlarge


1935 Chris-Craft Family Cruiser


Swansong 24 Torpedo Back









These models are by Bill Norby, of Mahogany Model Boats, and are made in the US.  They are hand built and there is meticulous attention to detail.  They are priced around $2,500 - $3,000.






1939 Chris Craft Barrel Back      -      1949 Chris Craft Sedan      -      1952 Chris Craft Riviera






1949 Chris-Craft Sportsman U22



Sportsman and Racing Runabouts



1940 Chris-Craft


1954 Chris-Craft Riviera



Nice models from other makers:












Thursday, December 2, 2010

New York scenes from the 1930s - in model reailroad (1/87) scale

 Vector Cut makes replicas of actual buildings from New York in the 1930s.  The first building shown here is a replica of one that was (or may still be)  on Stanton Street (on the Lower East Side for you non-New Yorkers), that he made from a well known Berenice Abbott photo.   Check out his site for more info:  Vector Cut.



click photos to enlarge























Stand alone objects









These 1890s chairs are on a clothes pin.